Paris Peace Agreement’s Day
Paris Peace Agreement Day was a former public holiday in Cambodia and commemorates the official end of the Cambodian-Vietnamese War and the Third Indochina War in 1991. This holiday is observed annually on October 23rd, and prior to 2019, it was a public holiday in the country.
Cambodia (Observance)It was removed from the public holiday schedule to reduce the number of publicly observed holidays from 28 to 22. Even though it’s not an official public holiday on which businesses and schools are closed and the general public has a day off, some people still use the holiday as a teaching tool.
The History of Paris Peace Agreement Day in Cambodia
Cambodia was ravaged for years by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, beginning in 1975. The Vietnamese invaded the country in 1978 in response to the border raids that were being conducted by the Khmer Rouge into their country.
The Vietnamese did help to unseat the Khmer Rouge and end the senseless killing of Cambodians, but many people felt it came at a price. They felt that the regime that replaced the Khmer Rouge was merely a puppet of the Vietnamese government. As a result, several resistance groups were formed.
These resistance groups waged a war against the Vietnamese that would last over a decade. International pressure would eventually compel Vietnam to leave Cambodia in 1991. The Paris Peace Accords were signed in Paris, France, on October 23rd, 1991, by Cambodia and Vietnam, and they brought the war to an end.
Observing Paris Peace Agreement Day in Cambodia
This isn’t a public holiday anymore, but schools and educational facilities use the anniversary of the holiday to give lessons about the war and the peace agreement that ended it. It’s not a day off for most people, and most businesses operate normally.
Cambodia (Observance)
